MAC Mineralize Rich Lipsticks in Be A Lady and Lady At Play review – drinking the coral Kool-Aid

Cometh the summer… cometh the coral.

In some weird beauty blogger version of Pavlov’s Dogs, as soon as the sun starts poking its head out for any prolonged period, I find my fingers automatically itching towards my stash of coral lipsticks – and usually, the brighter the better! There’s just something about coral in the summer… It feels younger and more fun than red, breezier and easier to pull off than orange, and juicier and happier than pink – instead being some exotic, eternally flattering love-child of all three.

This summer, MAC’s Mineralize Rich Lipsticks in Lady At Play (above left) and Be A Lady (above right) have been on higher rotation in my make-up routine than One Direction and Taylor Swift on a tweenager’s Spotify playlist. These lipstick ladies are definitely for turning… turning heads that is!

Left to right: Be A Lady, Lady At Play

First up, I simply love the Mac Mineralize Rich Lipstick formula. The formula is softer, creamier and more hydrating than MAC’s regular lippies; yes, this means the staying power is lessened to around 3-4 hours, but your lips will love you more as a result, I promise! It feels lighter on, is defiantly non-drying and has a slightly glossier finish – it’s actually one of my favourite lipstick formulas around, full stop.

The packaging also differs from MAC’s regular lipsticks – the Mineralize Rich Lipstick casing is a chunkier tapered hourglass shape, with a satisfying magnetic closure that I wish more lipsticks implemented. The only slight downside is that the lipstick bullet itself is a little wider than the regular MAC lipsticks, which can make it a bit more difficult to draw your perfect lip shape.

Be A Lady leans more towards the pinky-peachy end of the coral spectrum – the sweeter, more demure coral clan who frequent garden parties and afternoon teas in vintage floral dresses.

It’s a bright but soft, fresh but versatile, pretty medium coral that just feels oh so right. Its name also means I constantly feel the need to sing “Luck Be A Lady Tonight” every time I wear it… not sure if that’s a good thing for any friends and family that have to put up with said warbling but hey, I enjoy it!

Meanwhile, Lady At Play sits more towards the tangerine-orange end – the more vivacious chatty coral cool kids who dance like no-one’s watching at beach parties and summer barbeques.

It’s a few shades brighter than Be A Lady but without being garishly in-yer-face. In fact, it’s a highly wearable colour ideal for those of you wary of looking like you’ve been Tango-ed, adding a sweet, juicy punch of papaya to your look. (PS If Punchiest Papaya is not already a Clinique Chubby Stick name, I will be attempting to claim any future royalties when it inevitably does become one.)

Both Be A Lady (above) and Lady At Play (below) have lovely creamy formulas that are a dream to apply; they’re opaque whilst still looking light and natural, build nicely to become even brighter, and both last around three to four hours without bringing any signs of discomfort or creasing to your lipstick game.

I’m simply addicted to the cute eye-catching colour pops that both Be A Lady and Lady At Play bring to my coral party, whilst the excellent formula makes them easy winners over other similar shades in my stash. So forget mere slips of girls and instead befriend some real ladies!

MAC Be A Lady and Lady At Play Mineralize Rich Lipsticks, $230, see all MAC locations in Hong Kong here

Note: Both these products were received for my consideration